Tag Archives: ocean dream

Coming to Ocean Dream Samudra, Ancol, is like walking through a time tunnel. It has been more than 25 years since I last time come here. I was a kid back then, holding the hands of my parents, coming over for holiday to Gelanggang Samudra, the name of the place before changed to Ocean Dream.

Ocean Dream Samudra, Ancol, Jakarta – Indonesia

I still recognize the old ticket box as we drove by. Park map now list the landmark as “old gate”. The ticket box has move to bigger area to accommodate more visitors.

After we bought our ticket, I took Ethan’s hand, my son, towards the entrance. Twenty five years ago, my mom took my hand and my brother’s hand merrily to the entrance. We would watch the shows performed by animals, directed by their trainers. Two shows that was still fond in my memory is sea lion and dolphin show.

I don’t really remember the show called Aneka Satwa. Watching this show is new to my mind. However, from the look of the stage, I know that the show has been there for some time.

Aneka Satwa’s show stage was painted in blod pastel color, the color style of Gelanggang Samudra in the 80’s. The stage is small, barely enough to accommodate the audience. The show itself, however, is still hilarious. They have birds performing a dance, monkey pushing a cart, and goose parade. There are education message in the show as well: Stop stealing the wood from the forest.

At the end of the show, the trainer call for a hippo. My initial thinking was: NO WAY! The stage won’t accommodate a hippo! My second thought as a hippo face took shape: Someone is wearing hippo’s suit. Both is wrong. It is a REAL hippo, alive. A teen hippo, I guess, but still has big mouth that the trainer can literally throw a whole bunch of bananas for it to chew.

Yes, this is a REAL hippo!

The most iconic show in Ocean Dream Ancol is still the dolphin show. Twenty five years ago, I was sitting here with my parents. Woody Ice Cream sellers roamed in between the audience, selling Ice Cream to cool off in a sunny day.

Today, no more Woody Ice Cream. The stage itself has been modified with acrylic pool and a big screen. The show itself however, remains as what left in my childhood memory. Dolphins trained to lead to catch balls, leap through the rings, and solve simple equation.

The iconic Dolphin Show

Ethan was having a great time at the park, and so does us. The trip has bring back the childhood memory, a happy experience brought by my parents. Now a parent myself, I hope 25 years later, Ethan will relive the happy experience today, just like I did.